Until recently, I thought that I was the only person to have written a quirky, pious, ukulele song for St. Isidore the Farmer. Perhaps I still am. However, while searching through some medieval manuscripts I found that even in this, … Continue reading
Friendship & Happiness
To Forgive Another
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We pray these words routinely as Christians, yet their weight should give us pause. We all need forgiveness, but to offer forgiveness often feels beyond our ability. This … Continue reading
How to Talk About Homosexuality
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on August 6, 2014. Fr. Gabriel Torretta was ordained a priest in 2015 and now serves as a parochial vicar. How do we talk about homosexuality? Christians are caught on the horns of … Continue reading
At the Hedge
The Word of God, solitary, magnificent amid the vicissitudes of human history, turns to me, his face shining from his vision of the Father, and speaks to me. As in all human love, only more so, I am exposed; I … Continue reading
Hearts Like His
You’re always hurt most by those closest to you. The sharpest knives are wielded by family, religious brothers, or intimate friends, for they have a particular access to our hearts that is born of the strength of the bond between … Continue reading
We Are Travelers
Memorial Day weekend approaches. And with it will come the beginning of the summer vacation season. According to one survey, close to half of all Americans took a long-distance vacation in the summer of 2014, traveling an average of nearly … Continue reading
Dusk. Two Men.
Twilight. The outside of a large estate in the country. It’s a warm evening with a pleasant breeze carrying snatches of music, laughter, and delicious-smelling smoke over the walls. A man is sitting by himself on a bench outside the … Continue reading
Don’t Look Gloomy, Smile!
Today we are just a week into Lent, with five weeks to go before the holy Triduum and the glories of Easter. In the meantime, we Christians are praying, fasting, and giving alms in reparation to God for our sins … Continue reading
Lenten Peace
Lent is a time to attain peace of heart, not to lose it. Yet it is a common experience for people to make big Lenten resolutions, fail to keep them, and give in to discouragement. We are sinners, and most … Continue reading
The Purple Haze of Lent
Jimi Hendrix probably didn’t have Lent in mind when he wrote “Purple Haze.” But Lent can feel like a “purple haze, all around,” and not just because of the vestments. In the confusing mix of emotions, one might echo Hendrix, … Continue reading
Homeward Bound
Being lost in Manhattan can be a terrifying experience. No idea where you are, no idea where to go, and no familiar faces to ask for directions. Might as well throw on a blindfold for good measure. And yet, if … Continue reading
Spiritual Deafness
We all have our sufferings and problems, but sometimes other people can see better than we what’s wrong with us. For example, the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus stars a music teacher and composer who finds out that his baby boy … Continue reading
March for Life
And what you thought you came forIs only a shell, a husk of meaningFrom which the purpose breaks only when it is fulfilledIf at all. Either you had no purposeOr the purpose is beyond the end you figuredAnd is altered … Continue reading
Christmas Shopping
What hath Christ to do with Versace? I remember a Christmas morning interview with Cardinal Dolan, the archbishop of New York, on The Today Show. Asked how he felt living on 5th Avenue, in the heart of a world-renowned shopping … Continue reading
The Way of Happiness
No one can fail to wish to be happy or to seek after happiness. But we are reminded on every side that we have not found it yet. We are still yearning and seeking after happiness, or after someone to … Continue reading
Who Am I?
The philosopher wonders, “why am I here?” He considers the natural order, man’s place within it, and the thoughts of others who have sought to understand man’s nature and what fulfills it. The religious person gratefully asks God, “why did … Continue reading
Tsk tsk tsk
“If it’s one thing I am,” Mrs. Turpin said with feeling, “it’s grateful. When I think who all I could have been besides myself and what all I got, a little of everything, and a good disposition besides, I just … Continue reading
Known By Your Fruits
Today the Church celebrates the feast day of a Dominican saint and doctor of the Church, St. Albert the Great. The list of his contributions to Western thought is staggering. He was one of the first to comment on many … Continue reading
Love’s Hatred
Some Christians have misgivings about the slogan “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” For them, the slogan seems “judgmental” and, therefore, fundamentally unchristian. I can understand a certain amount of suspicion. We don’t want to turn into fault-finders or to … Continue reading